The present invention relates to the general field of tables, and more particularly to a four in-one gateleg dining or conference table which converts into a stand-alone work of art (painting and sculpture) when not being used as a table (e.g., as when in its fully closed position) thereby having both utilitarian and aesthetic qualities.
Typically most residences and commercial establishments occasionally experience a space utilization problem with respect to the optimum or most efficient arrangement of furniture within a finite amount of floor space. Various types of furniture have been developed which can be closed when not being used for purposes of minimizing the amount of space utilized by the piece of furniture when it is not being used and is in its closed position. Sometimes the specific design for a particular article of furniture does not permit the piece of furniture to perform a further utilitarian purpose when the article is in the closed position.
With respect to various prior art arrangements pertaining to tables used for dining, it has long been the practice that a well designed dining table will permit some functional utilization of the dining table when the table is in a semi-closed (or semi-opened) position. For example, perhaps the dining table will have a small central top surface which is capable of further utilization even when the table is in its closed position. This is of a particular concern for various individuals who reside in cramped quarters where there is only sufficient space to accommodate a single dining table which, of necessity, must be used for both informal and formal dining occasions on the part of the particular resident. A dining table that is capable of structurally facilitating partial dining (for up to three to eight individuals) in its semi-opened positions while still maintaining an inherent capability when in its fully opened position to comfortably seat twelve individuals for a formal dinner (or meeting), would pose a solution for those residences or businesses which occasionally have a space limitation problem. If the same dining table, when it its fully closed postion, could additionally be used for purposes of decorative design, the particular article of furniture would be a valuable addition to an occupant which finds itself with a permanent space limitation problem.
Another version of the space limitation problem arises when furnishing a residence or office with respect to functional articles of furniture and aesthetic works of art. Usually separate articles are purchased to fulfill the utilitarian demands of the occupant and different individual pieces of art are purchased to satisfy the inherent aesthetic interior requirements of the surrounding environment. Out of necessity, this exacerbates the space limitation problem of the occupant, not to mention the duplication of capital investment required to purchase each of the separate articles by the resident or tenant. Furthermore, the typical piece of furniture will depreciate in value over time as it becomes worn, while if wisely chosen, the selected work of art may maintain or even appreciate in value over time, thereby having the additional benefit of preserving the initial capital investment made by the owner over time, at least in absolute terms. The prior art has not demonstrated an article comprising of a work of art (painting or piece of sculpture) which is convertible into utilitarian piece of furniture, such as a table capable of being used as either a formal dining or conference table by the occupant.
Articles of convertible furniture of the prior art design and construction have generally used tongue-in-groove or peg-in-hole design approaches to achieve the necessary stability when the article of furniture is extended to its fully opened position. Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks to this particular standard design approach is that the specific item of furniture may not be able to be fully utilized in a functional sense when the particular piece of furniture is folded into its closed position. Consequently, there is a need for a piece of furniture to be sturdy and durable in either its opened or closed positions, while being able to complete tilitarian functions in either position, yet remain elegant and simplistic with respect to its underlying design and construction, and also have the capacity of fulfilling an incremental utilitarian function when the article of furniture is in its closed position.
The maintainability of any article of furniture is always a concern. Likewise, this is also true with respect to individual works of art. It is even more apparent that maintainability will be essential attribute with a article of furniture that would convert, say when in its closed position, into a separate stand-alone work of art. Such an article would have to be resistant to surface scratches or mars, as well as be able to withstand damage as a result of the frequent conversion from performing the utilitarian function as an article of furniture and then being transformed to perform the aesthetic function as a separate stand-alone work of art when the article of furniture is in its closed position.